Maurice Sendak's classic 1963 book, about a little boy's adventure in an imaginary world populated by surreal creatures, contained little text but was full of evocative, powerful imagery. The film by Spike Jonze, with a script by David Eggers, is therefore not exactly letter-perfect in adapting the scant words, but it does nail the feeling and the atmosphere of the book; just look at how Hollywood sugar-injected the Dr Seuss books for live-action to see how special and daring Jonze's indie, handheld camera approach is. It's gritty in a way fantasy films have never been before, and the practical creature suits sell the message that monsters are people too. Jonze tackles the narrative in a similarly unorthodox manner, Max's journey is filled with random arguments, tantrums and sulks – all the less popular but more common traits of childhood. And like all truly affecting fantasies, from Alice In Wonderland (the book) to Pan's Labyrinth, the imaginary world reflects – and is heavily informed by – the child's regular life: dreams and the imagination are used to solve life's problems. Jonze's decision to make his film more about mood than plot left many confused, but repeated viewings prove there's more going on than first meets the eye. The DVD release contains a few tantalising behind-the-scenes snippets as extras, but that's all the better to preserve the considerable magic this film creates.